This is for anyone who has done a headgasket themselves, specifically on a 4af/4afe but any engine will do that is a DOHC. Any tips on what I need to do, or any special tools or bits I will need that I may not already have...
12pt 10mm socket.
Bolt up the intake cam (the divided cam wheel), so it will keep tension.
Then remove the camshaft.
I'd recommend a service book.
otherwise its pretty straight forward.
toyota service manual for the car is $300!! I don't have the money for that at the moment, I have the gasket on order with an intake gasket and I can't remember the other stuff I ordered
Maybe I am just really slow because I woke up but for some reason you saying this threw me off and I have no idea what your talking about :s
"Bolt up the intake cam (the divided cam wheel), so it will keep tension."
Like flashman said, the 12 point 10mm socket for head cylinder bolts. You need to lock the spider gears (Backlash gear) of the intake camshaft with a M7 bolt I believe?? I don't remember what size. The Haynes manual is good reference. I suggest having a room and a large table with a cloth on top so nothing rolls off & falls underneath the car. It's best to have the proper tools before you start, torque wrench, timing light etc. Since you need to remove timing belt, for the cost might as well put a new one on. Also you will have space after head removal, put a new fuel filter in too. Some good spray cleaner, new oil & filter. I've done three 4AFE gasket changes and probably over 20 in my lifetime on different cars. On the 4AFE you can actually remove the head with the intake and exhaust manifolds still attached, but to prevent exhaust leaks you can just unbolt the exhuast manifold from the head. Valve lifters look all the same but they are not. Clean the valve lifter shims with good cleaner and label them with a sharpie marker or tape. Sort of like I1 for intake valve shim and E1 for exhaust valve shim, both on the #1 cylinder. There are 2 per intake and exhaust so a small letter l and r to distinguish which side will help. As you remove parts lay them clean on the table. If you lived close I would of helped you out. Here is a quick summary of steps: ( this is just a breif explanation not to be taken percisely )
-Unplug battery, drain oil & coolant, remove fuel line from rail, remove spark plugs, -put #1 cylinder Top Dead Center, remove accessory belts, remove valve cover -follow the Haynes manual on how to remove the timing belt -lock the spider gear, mark timing and remove distributor, -The head bolts are different sizes and make sure you put the same bolt in the same location when reinstalling -You will need a small torque wrench that can give you 115 inch pounds for the camshaft bearings...and a large torque wrench for head bolts. when tightening bolts follow the manual sequence closely. There is a procedure.
Again these are just a few important steps I remebered from 3 months ago when I did one.
These are not all the steps. just an insight. Hope this helps
I just did a 7A-FE. Here are some recommendations:
1. Pay daily membership and download sections of your Toyota service manual from http://techinfo.toyota.com/
2. Order a reputable head gasket kit. High quality is worth the extra cost.
3. Purchase head bolts (highly recommend) and other gaskets that do not come with a head gasket kit, i.e. water pump inlet gasket, EGR gasket, exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe gasket and lock nuts from the dealer. Many of these parts will be special order 3 days.
4. Replace the timing belt if necessary. If so, you may need a crankshaft pulley puller.
5. Use lots of how water and soap to clean parts. Prepare gasket surfaces with acetone. Use a gasket scraper. Keep everythings perfectly clean.
6. Use Permatex Ultra grey sealant, the best for high torque load and oil resistance.
7. Loan out tools instead of purchasing if possible.
8. Use a quality torque wrenches. One for 5-20 ft. lbs, and another for 20-100+ ft. lbs.
9. Label everything by number with a permanent marker and put in zip lock bags. Take pictures for memory.
10. Replace all stretched and stripped bolts.
11. Have a back up car while doing the work and be patient. Your car may be down for a week.
12. Misc. various tools that come to mind - 10mm long and short socket 6pt, 10mm long 12 pt., 6mm allen wrench for plenum?, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm sockets. I used two 10mm deep offset wrenches to remove water pump pulley. Spark plug socket, various extensions, 1/2 breaker bar, crescent wrench, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by freakinbox
This is for anyone who has done a headgasket themselves, specifically on a 4af/4afe but any engine will do that is a DOHC. Any tips on what I need to do, or any special tools or bits I will need that I may not already have...
Easy way would be taking #1 spark plug out and inserting an extra long screwdriver down the shaft. Hand rotate (do not crank start!) the engine until you see the screwdriver go up all the way. When it looks like it's about to go down reverse rotation and get it back up to the top. When you remove valve cover and timing cover you will see timing marks on the block and head. The cam sprocket has a hole that lines up with a mark on the head and the bottom crank will have an arrow and dot lined up. Haynes Manual for 88 to 91 Corollas are about 16 bucks and on ebay aswell cheaper
Easy way would be taking #1 spark plug out and inserting an extra long screwdriver down the shaft. Hand rotate (do not crank start!) the engine until you see the screwdriver go up all the way. When it looks like it's about to go down reverse rotation and get it back up to the top. When you remove valve cover and timing cover you will see timing marks on the block and head.
An easier way to do that is to just rotate the crank and watch when the lower timing mark hits the 0 pointer. No need to put screwdrivers in. Plus remember that a 4 stroke engine takes 720degrees to complete the events in one cylinder, therefor even if you look at the screw driver, it can either be at TDC or it can be on the last part of the exhaust phase.
i just e-mailed the service manual to you, its in adobe pdf format so youll need adobe acrobat reader. Enjoy. P.S. its really easy to change a head gasket if you have the patience. oh yea i e-mailed it too freak_in_box74@hotmail.com
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89 Corolla All-Trac Sedan White 188,xxx (Sold)
89 Corolla All-Trac Wagon Blue 172,xxx (Current)
Definately try e-bay for a manual. I got mine for $15.00 with shipping. Cover is torn, but so what.
The guy I got it from deals mostly in car literature. So if you don't see it, click on some other items anyway to see if you find someone like that. Then you can link to them and maybe find something they don't have posted on the e-bay site.
Does anyone prime the oil system before starting to prevent wear on the camshafts, bearings and rings.
One tip is to put assembly lube on the camshaft and cylinder walls to help prevent dry start.
I hear alot of times when people do a valve job. The engine starts buring more oil and end up needing rings. the blame is placed on the valve job causing more vacuum or something when what may have happen is dry startup which cause the rings to wear.
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